Shri. Balachandar Krishnaraj, an accomplished carnatic flautist, started learning flute from Guru Mrs. Rajamani at the age of 10 and further continued his journey under the tutelage of Mrs. Sikkil Mythili Chandrasekaran in Chennai, India.  Growing up as a child, he has performed in a number of venues including on the Doordarshan channel.  

 

When Balachandar, now known as Flute Bala, moved to the US, his talents were quickly noted and he was soon performing in various events in the greater New York area.  Apart from having been part of more than a 200 arangetrams, he has performed in many carnatic concerts, fusion music & light music shows with various leading artists.  He has performed in many prestigious venues around the country including the Lincoln Center & Carnegie Hall in New York City,  Painted Bride Arts Center & University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and a number of hindu temple stages around the tri-state area.  Apart from carnatic music events, Bala is widely known as a performer in Cine light music groups, both as a flutist and a vocalist.

 

Balachandar and his wife Sangeetha have established "Natyaswara" , an Indian arts school in Chester Springs,  Pennsylvania which is committed to teaching music and dance to the next generation.  Bala is passionate about inspiring kids and imparting knowledge of flute playing alongside the rich tradition, history and the methodology of Carnatic music.  He strongly believes that by mastering the rich nuances of Carnatic music, a student can easily enjoy and play other forms of music.

 

Apart from his passion of being a successful flutist, Balachandar has a degree from IIT Madras, MS from University of Michigan, and an MBA from New York University, a​​nd is currently working as a Senior Vice President at Lincoln Financial.  He is also a board member of Charity Crossing, a non profit committed to providing for the underprivileged in our local communities.